RSVP
by sailor's delight
Summary: AU, posthogwarts, it's the Tonkses dinner party RLNT


**RSVP**

Nymphadora Tonks swore loudly as she checked her watch, and started walking faster to her dorm on the other side of campus. She had just finished her last class (Advanced Potion Identifying) before spring break and was going to be late for her parent's annual dinner party they hosted around springtime. Tonks dreaded it every year. Just another formal event that she was forced to go to and plaster on a fake smile and have the same conversation with dozens of neighbors and relatives who are either too rich to be normal or too old to be normal. Tonks finally made it up to her dorm, dropped her backpack, grabbed a towel and her shower caddy and rushed to the showers. She hadn't taken a shower in the morning because she had slept through her alarm again and barely made it to class on time, and she desperately needed a shower after last night. Way too many rounds of Kings. Well that's college life for ya. She also wanted to smell shower fresh for a certain Remus Lupin (who promised he would come tonight) and not smell like a frat house. Tonks was in her second year of Auror training at a wizarding college that offered the top Auror training program in the country. Remus was at another top wizarding school, not too far from Tonks, studying…well she didn't exactly know what he was majoring in. He was in some math program with a really long complicated name. Remus was always good at math and took endless Arithmacy classes when they were at Hogwarts. They were still able to see each other often because they could just apparate to each other's dorms. One of the perks of being a witch and wizard.

Tonks finished up her shower and dashed back to her room to get changed. She slipped into a tight, plain white, knee length, strapless dress and put on a pair of dress flip flops that had heels. Tonks quickly combed out her hair and decided on keeping her dark red streak that was on the underside of the hair framing the left side of her face. She couldn't resist annoying her mother. With one last touch of makeup, Tonks grabbed the bag that she pre-packed (one of her more genius moments) and apparated to her beachfront house (well, more like estate, who was she kidding) that she grew up in.

"Nymphadora! Finally, I was beginning to think you forgot!" Tonks winced as her mother hugged her and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Go put your bag upstairs, and come back down, there's still a lot to do." Tonks rolled her eyes and went upstairs to her bedroom and placed her bag on the bed. She then went down the hall to her younger sister Lyra's room. She peeked in at her sister who was lying on the bed reading a book. Typical.

"And how come you aren't downstairs with the monster," Tonks said casually to her sister while leaning on the doorframe.

Lyra looked up and smiled, saying, "Nymphie! You're here!"

Tonks shuddered and said, "Ugh. Don't call me that," before going into the room and giving her sister a hug. "Come on, let's go downstairs before she sniffs us out."

Lyra was exactly like her mother. Quiet, soft spoken, nose always buried in a book, in other words, the good one. As Tonks descended the stairs, she saw her father walking out of his study and heading toward the kitchen. He looked up at Tonks and broke out into a huge smile and held his arms open for her to hug him.

"Dora! Not too late this year!" Ted said as he winked and embraced his daughter.

"Oh, shut up," Tonks said as she rolled her eyes and playfully swatted at his arm. Tonks was as much like her father as Lyra was as much like her mother, and had been daddy's little girl while growing up.

They walked into the bright sunlit kitchen, and Tonks gazed out the many windows at the beach and the ocean below. She could see the small barn next to the pond on the lawn outside where there was a paddock and her mother and Lyra's two horses grazed in the sun.

"Oh, Nymphadora, honestly," Andromeda said softly as she fingered the red streak of hair on her daughters head of straight, dark brown hair that fell to the middle of her shoulder blades.

"What, mom? You can barely see it, it's underneath all my hair," Tonks retorted.

"Well, it's still wet, you didn't have time to dry it?" her mom said.

"No mom. I had class like fifteen minutes ago," Tonks replied. "And it'll dry fine on its own" Her mother sighed and walked into the living area to put out some hors d'oeuvres.

About an hour later, most of the guests had arrived and were mingling in the living room, munching on food or sipping at their fancy drinks and bragging about their golden children. Tonks had probably heard about twenty "Well you know my (enter child's name here) did such-and-such at the so-and-so" stories. She just kept that radiant smile going and sipped at her champagne, grateful that her father let her drink at these events even though she was underage.

"What? It's not like she's never going to! And it's in the family!" her dad says every year to her mother's disapproving glare.

Tonks barely registered the doorbell ringing because she was so focused on pretending to be interested in her Great Aunt Norma's story about her sixth husband, but she nearly spilled her drink all over poor Norma when two warm hands were placed on her shoulder.

"Remus!" Tonks cried as she turned around and hugged him tightly, whispering into his neck, "oh god, save me, save me, save me." Remus gave a soft snort and turned her back to face her Great Aunt Norma who has a confused expression on her face.

"Aunt Norma, this is my boyfriend, Remus," Tonks said quickly.

"Nice to meet you," Remus said with a small smile.

Norma looked him up and down before saying, "You're a bit scrawny, you need some meat on them bones!" She pinched his arm to emphasize her point. "Here, have a weenie," she said holding up a cocktail weenie dipped in mustard on a toothpick.

Remus looked at the weenie skeptically and politely declined.

"Well Aunt Norma, it was great talking to you, but I'm gonna go see if my mom needs any help," Tonks said turning away. "And good luck with your husband! Sixth time's a charm!" Tonks called over her shoulder. She looped her arm through Remus' and took another swig of champagne and walked over to where her parents were talking to some neighbors.

"Dora, how much champagne have you had?" Remus asked his girlfriend quietly.

"Not enough," she responded in a low voice.

"_Well at least __I have__ someone good too look at instead of Uncle Toby and his comb over__,"_ Tonks thought, eyeing Remus who was chatting with her mother about his school. Her right arm was still threaded through Remus' left and she was holding on tight, slightly leaning on him. Tonks looked down at her hand which was clutching the now empty champagne glass. She raised an eyebrow and decided that it was going to be a long night.

**Disclaimer**

Anything that is recognizable from any of the _Harry Potter _books is property of J.K. Rowling and I make no profit from it.


End file.
